This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Most office-friendly blouses fall into a few basic categories: sleeveless shell, button-down, etc. Here’s a unique blouse that defies easy categorization.
COS’s relaxed, long-sleeved blouse is made from an easy-care, fluid viscose blend — and the rich toffee brown is particularly suited for mid-fall. The drapey V-neck is accented by a scarf neckline that can be fastened in place. Unlike most clothing with cutouts, this one can work for the office.
This blouse from COS is $135 and comes in sizes 2–14.
Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear.
Sales of note for 12.5.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; 5x the points on beauty for a limited time
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – Extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code
- Lands’ End – Up to 70% off everything; free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Loft – 50% off your purchase with code (ends 12/5)
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles & free scarf with orders $125+ (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; extra 50% off all markdowns
- Zappos – 34,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code
- Pottery Barn Kids – Up to 50% off toys, furniture & gifts
- Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off; sign up for texts for 20% off full-price item
- Walmart – Up to 25% off top baby gifts; big savings on Delta, Graco, VTech, Fisher-Price & more
ISO Girls Pants for a Belly says
My 6 year old desperately wants uniform pants but I can’t find any that fit! She’s tall enough for a size 8, but neither an 8 or a 10 fits her belly — basically, I need a kids version of an under the bump maternity pant. She’s a true apple shape, like me, so plus sizes are usually too big in the hips. Can anyone recommend any brands?
Anonymous says
if I’m reading this right, she’s the right height for an 8 but size 8s or 8/10 are too tight in the belly? and by “uniform pants” do you mean pants for an actual school uniform, or do you mean like, leggings she can wear in 7 colors?
TheElms says
I’m not entirely sure what type of pant you are after, but Lands end has wide leg sweat pants / athletic pants. They also have elastic waist khaki pants in tan, black and navy (which look more like traditional school uniform pants).
OP says
Thank you for the Lands End tip! They have to be hard pants (no sweats, joggers, leggings) but the Lands End khakis come in plus and varied inseams! So trying a wider waist with a shorter inseam and fingers crossed!
Anonymous says
Just get the ones that are too big in the hips. Uniforms never fit little kids and are always a rumply mess, especially pants and shirts with c011ars (trying to avoid mod).
Anon says
Gap has uniform ponte pants, if those are acceptable. Stretchier and has an adjustable waist.
Anonymous says
A friend’s kid is in this boat and she just buys a bigger size and has the tailor hem them– they do the kind of hem that can be let out so if she has a vertical growth spurt, then can be adjusted.
anonM says
Maybe try the Children’s Place. My daughter has a preschool uniform, and son wore them until size 5, so I can’t speak to the bigger sizes but I think they’re similar. She wears both my son’s hand me downs and her “girl” legging version. Both fit her well. I think the “boy” ones are adjustable chino, some of which were stretch. The adjustable side band is really helpful in those odd sizes.
Anon says
Any advice for my 4 year old? Theres a kid (B) who has been getting in trouble all year for not keeping his hands to himself and B put his arms around my son at dancing time and my son bit him. My son said he told him to stop and he didnt so he did that. That was last week then yesterday, i got a call saying my son needed to be picked up because he bit the kid again. My son said I went to get water from my cubby and his nap mat was there and he was going to “get me” so i did that. Regardless, Biting is a completely ridiculous and to me concering behavior for a 4 year old. Six months ago, we had an issue with biting a neighbors son when roughhousing though. He felt super bad and embarassed. We’ve not had any issues with biting ever before this though and he doesnt get in trouble really beyond talking when hes not supposed to. The thing is I think the boys are kind of friends too at school and I know the mom. I’ve asked the school to seperate them.
For what its worth, my 4 year old has ADD (very likely and has been evaluated by a psychologist) and has had trouble controlling impulsive behavior like running onto the street rtc., although its improved a lot this year. Preschool did not seem concerned about these two biting incidents, just told me to bring him back tomorrow.
I wish it was pushing or hitting. Ugh biting seems so concerning. Welcome any thoughts.
Anonymous says
I think the focus here needs to be advocating for your son. It’s not acceptable that B just gets to have trouble keeping their hands to themselves backing your son into a corner where he has limited options to protect himself. This is your child saying he doesn’t feel safe.
Anon says
I don’t agree with this. If he tells B to stop and he doesn’t, he should tell a teacher or walk away or (less ideal, but better than biting) yell. Biting isn’t the answer. 4 is not too young to understand there are lots of better ways to handle this.
OP, I don’t think this is something horrible you need to feel deep shame about – occasional biting is still not unheard of at 4, but I think you’re right to be addressing it proactively and not blaming the other kid as the comment above suggested. Do the teachers or ped have any suggestions?
Anonymous says
Nah, the other kid needs to get out of his face AND he needs to learn other strategies for asserting his boundaries. The other kid’s behavior is actually more concerning because he is the aggressor. We shouldn’t teach kids that it is acceptable for others to touch them without consent and that they can’t defend themselves.
Anonymous says
I don’t think biting is good I just don’t think it’s some big crisis. It’s a frustration reaction
Anon says
I agree. When I read this, I first thought, this kid needs to stop bothering OP’s son. The school needs to work with both kids (and families) to reinforce appropriate boundaries. I also think biting is within the realm of normal for kids 5 and under so I wouldn’t worry about the other mom.
I’m not sure if this will work with your son, but I taught my kiddo (almost 3) the phrase “please respect my boundaries!!!” When someone is doing something he doesn’t like (too much tickling, baby brother clawing at him). It took a few months but he finally gets that he can scream that phrase loud enough to get his parents attention before things escalate to pushing etc.
Anon says
Yes, this. I have a very timid son, and he was struggling at school with holding his boundaries and kids taking his stuff. We would role play (over and over and over again) how to use an increasingly strong voice to get someone to stop. I would let him the be the aggressor, and he’d poke me or something and I’d work up to a hilariously exaggerated “STOP NOW.” Then, I’d be the aggressor and be super silly with my increasing antics, but let him practice his strong voice. It took a lot of practice, but he eventually got there.
Anonymous says
I think you’re majorly overreacting about the biting: he’s four. What other methods does he know to defend himself? I would reiterate that preschool needs to keep them separated as much as they can. You can apologize to the mom, but if I were in her shoes I wouldn’t be flustered. My kid who has impulse control challenges, heh, more so than the others, bites when he’s overstimulated.
Lydia says
yeah, I don’t think biting is worse than pushing or hitting at all — it seems similar and also very normal if he’s being cornered by B and feels uncomfortable. I agree with the other commentators that you need to advocate a bit more for your son to have B leave him alone — he should be able to have personal space! Maybe you could also talk to your kid about some alternative strategies when B gets too close (loudly saying “don’t touch me!”? hmm).
Anonymous says
If he is just biting this one child when the child is aggressive towards him, that is a much different issue than if he were biting multiple kids every time he didn’t like something they did. You need to meet with the teacher and acknowledge that although biting is not an acceptable response, the fact that he is only doing it with this one kid means that the other child’s behavior is egregious and also needs to be addressed.
I think parents tend to get more worried about biting than hitting because it generally is more likely to lead to expulsion from preschool.
anon says
Both kids need some sort of intervention/behavior correction. As the parent of a freshly minted 5 year old, I’m WAY more concerned about B than your kid and the biting. Doesn’t mean biting doesn’t need to be addressed – I think it’s on the outer bounds of age appropriate, but still not fully unexpected, especially given the circumstances – your kid was provoked, and multiple times!
You can only control what you can control. So, (1) work with your child to come up with alternatives to biting. (2) What is your school doing to keep your kid away from B and/or correcting B’s behavior? IME, really touchy/feely/non-boundary respecting children 4 are the same at 8. That needs to be addressed ASAP. Is their parent getting notification about the issue? I’d want to be sure of that.
Anonymous says
Yes. The school needs to be teaching this child a way to respond to AB’s aggression that a) works, b) is easy, and c) isn’t biting.
Anonymous says
But he tried saying no! The only other response I could see would be shoving B away, which I suppose is better than biting, but the school’s not going to endorse that. They need to deal with B.
Anon says
Screaming/yelling is also an option – still not great but better than biting.
anon at 9:48 says
walking away, raising voice, telling teacher all come before biting
I’m all for B needing the most redirection here, but she can def work on the biting with her son.
Anonymous says
The biting is much less concerning to me than B’s behavior, especially because it only happened after OP’s son tried using his words. OP needs to be demanding that B is kept away from her child. I agree with the poster who said that if B is handsy and this age he will still be handsy at 8, and 18, and 80. Don’t punish the victim who fights back after saying no. Punish the predator.
Anon says
In the second situation, he bit B before B did anything (” I went to get water from my cubby and his nap mat was there”). I agree that biting after you’ve used your words and they haven’t worked, as in the first situation, is much more justifiable, but it sounds like he’s biting B preemptively. Unless I’m misunderstanding.
OP says
yes this second situation was like that. He said “he’s going to get me”, the preschool director it sounded like it was some kind of fear or he wanted to for something that happened before but regardless thats why he got sent home early yesterday. I don’t know. I’m trying not to spiral because it’s not anyone else. I told him he needs to tell the teacher if B is bothering him, but he said we’re not supposed to talk at xyz situation which clearly is illogical. I told him if B is bothering him, no matter when, he needs to tell the teacher and hitting pushing biting etc are not acceptable ways to deal with it on his own.
Anon says
I think there are two separate issues here — (1) the situation with B, and (2) concerns about your son developmentally. For (1), I would continue to stay all over the school – how are they helping support your son when B is acting out? Can they separate them into different classes? B’s past behavior is clearly causing your son anxiety, so they need to work with you to help your son feel safe at school.
For (2), I would seek out an OT who can work with your son on body/brain awareness, and also help him with calming techniques. I would caution you not to let your concerns about his development interfere with your advocacy for him at his school. B is the aggressor, and the school isn’t overly concerned about your son, but you are still placing most of your concern about the situation on your son’s behavior. I have twin 4 year olds, who are about as close and loving as any siblings I’ve ever been around, but when attempts to share break down, they still give each other a big old whack on the head or back or whatever.
Anon says
I wouldn’t be concerned about the biting as self defense at all. I would make sure school is working hard to separate the boys and have B keep his hands to himself. I’d also practice with your son ways to escalate if B doesn’t stop after being told no (yell, put his arms out to protect his personal space, push). Schools not going to teach him those, but they’re important too.
anon says
The teachers really need to be all over this. It’s happened twice. They should be on notice and paying very, very close attention. Don’t let them off the hook–they are the adults in the room. You can work with your son by role playing an appropriate response to aggression by B, but they are the backups if B doesn’t stop when your son asks him to stop. They are responsible for keeping everyone safe.
Anon says
Honestly, this. It sounds like B’s needs aren’t being met either. I wouldn’t find this situation easy to handle if it were happening to me as a grown adult!
Anonymous says
+1
HSAL says
Agree with everyone else that they need to focus on B more. Love the suggestion of teaching your kid a phrase to say when B gets up in his business.
Also, just let me share that the one time I got sent to the principal was in first grade when I bit a kid who was trying to get at me. I turned out okay.
Anon says
So, I’ve been the parent of both kids in this situation. All kids have things they excel at and things they struggle with. Both B and your child are displaying pretty normal behavior and have time to learn more appropriate behavior. So don’t stress too much (easier said than done, I know!). Coach your child on appropriate behavior and, as others have said, you should ensure that daycare is working on preventing negative interractions between the two kids. I also would guess that daycare and B’s parents are not just giving him a pass on his behavior (you said he has been getting in trouble for it, so they’re at least not saying it’s ok and hopefully giving him positive reinforcement too). But, just as your kid shouldnt be kicked out for biting, B shouldn’t be kicked out for putting his arms around a friend during dance. 4 year olds are still learning proper social interactions, so practice at home and give it time.
Anon says
Agree with this. Calling B a “predator” is wild to me. He’s 4… Neither kid is doing anything horrible here.
Anon says
Yes! OP did not say B was hitting or doing anything that physically hurts others. Of course touching others without consent is not ok and B needs to learn to keep his hands to himself, but he’s a 4 year old who is still learning appropriate boundaries and self-control, not a teenager who is beating up other kids! They’re both being 4 (and need to continue working on appropriate behavior).
anon says
Agreed with all this. My kid is 3, but he has sensory processing issues (specifically challenges with body awareness), which mean that he hugs friends too hard or struggles with keeping his hands to himself when he’s excited. We and our school are working on this, including via weekly occupational therapy. He’s gotten bitten by another kid before when he hugged him unexpectedly. The answer is both that B needs support to develop appropriate behavior in this regard, and that OP’s son needs support to develop alternative responses to situations like this. And the teachers need to proactively intervene to minimize the risk of this kind of interaction.
Anonymous says
Yeh this is the sensible response to me. They’re 4!! Kids frontal lobe doesn’t even start developing until 6-7. I am suspicious of any 4yo being diagnosed with ADHD because they’re also just…4. Especially boys. FWIW when my kids are rough housing my 6.5yo (who is very well behaved) will pull her brothers hair an occasionally bite.
SC says
I have an 8-year-old with ADHD whose primary symptom is poor impulse control, plus sensory processing disorder. He bit frequently as a self-defense mechanism when he was younger, and it even happened this summer with a younger cousin who violated his personal space before he took his morning medication.
With the second incident, the preemptive biting, it sounds like your son does not feel safe around B and feels like he needs to protect himself. In addition to keeping the kids separate, the teacher needs to demonstrate that her classroom is a safe place. She can talk in circle time about classroom rules, keeping our friends safe, etc. She should address aggressive behavior for any child the moment it happens. But if your son feels anxiety about his personal space, and he has problems with impulse control, he’s probably going to keep defending himself. You should definitely try to teach him the techniques others are suggesting, but he also needs and deserves an environment where he feels safe from other kids.
Also, my experience is that schools care much more about biting than they do about pushing and hitting. Pushing and hitting can be overlooked, especially in the context of self-defense. Biting is never tolerated, even if they’re cornered. (It’s not even allowed in MMA fighting!)
Help! says
Advice on toddler tantrums? My kid is only 18 months but already seems to be having meltdowns. Sometimes it’s a communication issue (okay, you want to choose your own berry instead of me handing it to you) which I’m hoping will get better with time, but what do I do when it’s something that I can’t compromise on (we really do need to leave the park now or no, you can’t drink from my wine glass)? Kiddo seems to get upset or have opinions about everything and honestly cries/screams more than when she was an infant!
Anonymous says
Totally normal. This is why it’s convenient that toddlers are small. You can pick them up and leave the park. “I know you are mad that we are leaving. It is time to go now.”
anon3 says
Timers started to work really well around this age. For some reason when the phone timer says its time to go after 5 min warning, that was much better than me saying it. Make sure they’re not tired or hungry, which i know is very difficult to always control, but that advice applies for a long time like if you know they had 2 bites at lunch, just know no strategies will help. Id offer their cup or offer two choice, but just say its a grownup drink and it will hurt their tummy and let them be upset and move on. I know it’s difficult to see them mature and have opinions, but 2 and 3 are full a lot more of these types of situations.
Anon says
No advice, just solidarity and sympathy. In my experience, this will improve with age, ability to understand, and ability to communicate. At 18 months, for things like needing to leave the park, a countdown may help to let them know it’s going to be time to go soon so it’s not such an abrupt change. Then, if there’s still a tantrum, you pick them up and carry them to the car. For things like not drinking from my wine glass, a stern “no” and I would move the glass out of reach. Talk them through the tantrum if you can. But these are the tantrums that I think they just have to grow out of, honestly.
Anon says
Completely normal for toddlers to cry/scream more than infants. It will get better with time, but maybe not soon…. 2.5-3.5 was the worst year for us, then it started getting better.
Boston Legal Eagle says
+1. I found the toddler years more exhausting than the baby years (I had pretty good sleepers).
You could do the Lansbury “yes, it sounds like you’re really sad/mad, but we have to go/I can’t let you do that.” They won’t remember it for the next tantrum because of their age, but you’re acknowledging feelings while stopping the action.
anon says
With young toddlers, redirecting can work really well. “We need to leave the park now. Let’s go check on dolly and see if she’s finished her nap. What should we make her for her post-nap snack? Blueberries?”
Time can also be hard, so you can try number of turns as a countdown. It’s even better if you can make it a game. “Three more pushes on the swing and then let’s race to the tree (the one by your car to leave). One. Two. Three. Go!”
Anonymous says
Scoop them up and ignore the tears
Anon says
follow big little feelings or the like. a lot of it is just leaning into the tantrum and empathizing
Anonymous says
Oh, gosh, no. You can acknowledge their feelings without making it a bigger deal than it already is. Just acknowledge that they’re mad, scoop them up, and ignore further screaming.
Anon says
+1 empathizing too much made things so much worse for my highly emotional kid. Acknowledge the feelings kindly but quickly, then do what you have to do (pick them up, etc.) and ignore the screams.
Anon says
It took me a little too long to realize that this was the case for one of my highly sensitive kids too. I would emphasize and he would spiral – I think it made him think that I *too* was really concerned he didn’t get the blue bowl, and yes, it IS a huge deal. I’ve since found my kids move on much quicker if I just remain absolutely calm and unreactive. I do acknowledge once or maybe twice, and then move on with whatever is happening next. No emotion, no escalation, etc. He really struggled to move on if I did a ton of empathizing.
I now only pull out the empathy as a tool against sibling rivalry – if a kid reports unkind behavior by a sibling, I can respond with a calmly stated “Oh, yeah, that would make me feel really upset if [thing happened to me].” and usually, the kid will adjust their behavior accordingly without being defensive because they didn’t actually get in trouble for whatever was done.
Anony says
Agreed and also, introducing sort of a feelings hierarchy has helped a lot of with my toddler. I try to acknowledge the feeling, say if I think it’s a little, medium, or big bummer, and then move on. INow that he’s over 3, I see him doing that too and starting to moderate the reactions a little (i.e. the big ones are more for big bummers!). It really seems like a helpful tool for some early self-regulation.
Anonymous says
Both of my twins are this way: they have a taste of control with their new independence and want more! It’s developmentally normal. I try to give choices where I can, but sometimes I have to say no and it leads to a meltdown. Last week kiddo wanted to swing at the park but we had to leave, and it resulted in a full screaming meltdown where I had to carry him to the car with the siblings trepidatiously following along behind. It wasn’t pretty, but we got through it (and I miraculously didn’t lose my cool). Keep offering choices and holding boundaries when necessary. It will get better.
Anonymous says
Yup, welcome to toddlerhood. 18 months is right on track and not “early” for tantrums. This lasts until they’re like 4ish. But many people have posted here about 5,6,7 year olds have occasional meltdowns. It gets better when they can use their words, but only marginally so. Buckle up and enjoy the ride! I tend to verbalize their feelings, say I understand, and then move on “Yes I know you’re mad we’re leaving the park” – pick them up and wrestle into car seat. Welcome to parenthood :)
Boston Legal Eagle says
And when they are tweens/teens, their “tantrums” consist of much spicier language and opinions! It’s a wild ride.
Anon says
Yeah, I’m not sure tantrums ever fully stop, at least for some kids. My 6 year old has aged out of toddler-style meltdowns, but has started yelling at us and slamming doors when she gets mad like a tween…
Anon says
LOL – I laughed so hard at “This lasts until they’re like 4ish” because it’s so true.
An.On. says
Yeah, developing Opinions is a whole new stage. This are the basic principles that helped us:
1. Give advance notice as much as possible, so things don’t feel so abrupt, and remember they have no idea what five more minutes means, so use different terms (“Two more slides and then we’re leaving the park”, “After we see grandma we’re going to the library and you will need to be quiet at the library.”);
2. Let ’em scream it out in a safe place. I used to stash them in their crib and they’d cry it out and be fine after like five minutes;
3. As much as possible, keep rules simple and consistent. Not sharing any drinks is easier for them to understand than sharing some but not others at that age.
4. Redirect – “I know you want to paint, but we can’t do that right now, would you like to read a book instead?”
And of course, time! When your kid becomes more verbal it’s going to get a lot easier to understand the cause of the meltdown and head it off early. Good luck!
Anonymous says
I do have a call out to the doctor so just looking for anecdata – if you or a kid are diabetic, did you have signals besides ketosis breath? On a few occasions our 8 year old has had just indescribable terrible nail polish remover/acetone breath. The first time it lasted a few days and I did take him in (it was immediately following a different issue that seemed maybe related) and of course it was gone by the time we got there. Happened again this week for a full 24 hours but then resolved. Kid has always had sort of puzzling fatigue and pretty extreme irritability that seems correlated with blood sugar but I’m talking about years of these things and acetone breath just recently. I’m just trying to figure out if we should be pushing for testing here or if I’m just overwhelmed with anxiety from other stuff going on and fixating on this. FYI the breath is reallllllly noticeable.
HSAL says
You can just do a quick pee test at the doctor. I took a kid in this summer for increased thirst and a couple pee accidents.
Anon says
I have reactive and fasting hypoglycemia and the main symptom was just feeling really hangry or weepy shortly before or a while after meals, and sometimes waking up very alert part way through the night. I hope it’s not diabetes, but I was tested without any more symptoms than you’re describing, so I’d think it odd if they didn’t test.
In general, I think it is still common for pediatric Type 1 to be first diagnosed during an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis because it is easily missed. But the doctors should be higher alert now because of the pandemic.
Anonymous says
Can you tell me more about that? The kid also definitely wakes up at night – doesn’t wake anyone else but ends up exhausted.
Anon says
Apparently when blood glucose is unstable, our bodies produce a lot of stress hormones to instigate the liver to raise our blood glucose using glycogen, and so by the time we’ve woken up our blood glucose may have stabilized, but we’re WIDE AWAKE because of the cortisol/adrenaline that made that happen. That is what I was experiencing: waking up very alert and unable to fall back to sleep, and then tired the next day.
I think sometimes they recommend continuous blood glucose monitoring to get a sense of what the patterns are (especially for kids since it’s much, much less painful and traumatic than finger prick blood glucose testing).
AwayEmily says
There are home ketone tests you can use, too (my husband got diagnosed with T1 a couple of years ago).
anon says
When my daughter was diagnosed with T1D she was drinking vast (VAST) quantities of water each day, and that was the first symptom for the other T1D kids we’ve met too. I’m not a doctor, but I think it would be unusual to go into DKA without a noticeable increase in thirstiness. (My daughter was super thirsty for weeks before we got a diagnosis, and she never went into DKA.)
You can also get a glucometer and just test the kid’s blood sugar… have him eat something with carbs and test 90 minutes later and see if the reading is abnormal. The pediatrician can do this too, of course, and it can be nice to have a professional do it, especially if the reading does turn out to be abnormal. Personally I’d test blood sugar rather than doing a home ketone test because ketones can develop for other reasons.
BlueAlma says
It’s easy and cheap to test. No reason not to. My kid was diagnosed at 6. It’s easy to miss if your kid is older (like mine was) and taking care of their own drinking and toileting. My kid was super thirsty, peeing a ton, and very tired. Every parent should know the signs of t1d. My kid nearly died of ketoacidosis. I had no idea that thirstiness and some pee splashing on the floor added up to a life threatening illness.
Anon says
Does anyone know if there are any nicer pants (aka not sweatpants/joggers) out there for little boys that aren’t stiff and uncomfortable? My son needs pants to wear with things like sweaters and I’ve struck out.
HSAL says
Not sure if these are nice enough for you, but Cat and Jack has some woven joggers that have been my son’s main pants the last three years. They’re not the fanciest but they’re fine with buttonups and Christmas sweaters.
Anon1 says
I just picked up these pants for my 3yo and they look like proper pants and are cozy on the inside from the lining.
jersey lined straight fit pull-on woven pants
HSAL says
Ooh I hadn’t seen the lined ones yet, I’ll pick those up!
Anonymous says
Those lined ones were the only non sweatpants my kid would wear for 2 years. Now he’s graduated to the unlined ones!
Anonymous says
+1 to Cat and Jack twill pans with an elastic waist.
AwayEmily says
My son (5) wears girls’ “denim-like” leggings — they look like skinny jeans. He looks like a little hipster kid; it’s hilarious.
GCA says
They look so comfy though! I want some for myself! Ours are the Cat and Jack mid-rise soft knit jeggings.
Anonymous says
um jeans? get something with stretch from the gap. or jcrew’s corduroy pants with stretch.
Anony says
Hanna Anderson and Primary both make nice corduroy pants with elastic waists.
anonymous says
Primary also makes elastic waist chinos that I think are pretty soft. They’re my kid’s church pants, and they work well for the playground afterwards as well.
Scilady says
So what are we doing for guest room sleeping situations?
We are creating a new bedroom down in the basement for overnight/ long term guests (my in-laws are here for 5+ months). We would like to use this as an office the rest of the time, so don’t necessarily want a queen bed out all the time.
Am I looking for a sofa sleeper (Queen sized)? a murphy bed? A daybed that can be made into a king bed? What are your recommendations. What is actually comfortable?
Spirograph says
Definitely Murphy bed + a “real” mattress designed to be a daily sleeper. Sofa beds, even if you put a cushy mattress topper on them, are really only good for a couple nights. Long term guests need a real bed. Resource Furniture has some really cool solutions, but they’re fairly permanent (and need professional install). My sister has one in her guest room and I can vouch for comfort and quality, but there are lots of less-expensive options.
Anonymous says
IKEA daybed that turns into a king? Two twins and a desk depending on size? Will in-laws do a twin+ trundle?
TheElms says
If your in laws will be staying for nearly half a year you need a real bed. If you don’t want a bed that is out all the time, I think that means a murphy bed. A daybed that converts to a king would work also but I don’t prefer it because there is a join between the two mattress pieces ( I think you can buy something that bridges this gap) and one person is “trapped” against the railing what was the back of the day bed. (Personally I would really hate this if it was more than a few days, but maybe your inlaws don’t care) The upside to the daybed to King option is I’ve seen some that also become two twins, which gives more flexibility to the sleeping arrangements.
Anon says
My neighbors have a murphy bed, and it is amazing. They had one installed professionally, and I would 100% pick that option over the others mentioned.
Anonymous says
+1 murphy beds are real beds… lots of people who just live in small spaces have them and sleep on them every night. In fact, search for blogs from people fitting a family into a 1BR apartment and you’ll probably find some good recs for convertible sleeping arrangements.
For long-term guests, especially older guests, I’d want to have something that resembles as closely as possible a traditional queen bed.
Anon says
i mean 5+ months is a long time so i think they’d want a bed. otherwise, perhaps a very good sleeper sofa without bars (american leather, room & board), but this is for half the year.
CCLA says
We have an american leather one from room & board, and it is incredibly comfortable. People say it’s more comfortable than their mattresses at home and I would have no problem offering to have someone sleep on that thing for months. It lives in our playroom for when guests come. I would also consider a murphy, but just want to reiterate how nice a sleeper sofa can be (doesn’t belong in the same breath as the “nice” memory foam one we have in the living room, which is still at its core a sofa bed with a bar and the angles are weird and just ugh).
Regarding the daybed to king that someone noted above, we had one like that for a few years and did not have a trapping issue – the side of the daybed along the wall turned into the head of the bed. We had an ikea brimnes one, and it felt like a normal twin bed and then as a king was pretty nice, a topper would have probably improved things.
Anon says
I think you should get a normal bed if you’re hosting people for five months.
Cerulean says
We have Room and Board’s Deco sleeper (with the memory foam topper, it’s too firm without it) and it’s fantastic. I sleep on it once a week or so when I’m restless. I like that it folds out the short way rather than the long way so it doesn’t intrude into the room too much. It folds out to a queen size.
GCA says
Following; my parents live halfway around the world, and once they retire they may decide to visit for extended periods. I think I’d probably look for a daybed that turns into a king. (My parents have different mattress and pillow preferences anyway, and like individual quilts – ask your in-laws what they prefer!)
Anonymous says
It is within the realm of possibility to get a really comfortable sleeper – my husband used one as his only bed when he lived in a studio apartment when I met him and I slept on it many times. But I have no idea where to get one. It was an Italian brand I think (he got it at a store in Manhattan that has gone out of business), and it had a large mesh grid under a thick foam mattress. No bars could be felt and it held up really well, even when 2 large adults were sleeping on it for months at a time.
Anon says
My husband and I are expecting in March. We are each going to keep our own insurance, and we’re trying to figure out whose insurance the baby should go on. It would be about $35/month cheaper to put baby on husband’s insurance, but he also almost never goes to the doctor so if I’m going to hit the deductible/OOP max after delivery, then maybe it makes more sense for baby to be on my insurance next year even if it’s slightly pricier? Would greatly appreciate any advice!
Anon says
There’s usually a separate (higher) deductible and OOP max for a family than for a single person, and a lot of visits the first year will be free because they’re preventative. You’ll need to do the math to be sure, but there’s a good chance it makes sense to have baby on the insurance with the cheaper premium. Your doctor should be able to give you an estimate of delivery costs. I have a HDHP, but I did not hit my family OOP max even with delivery, and I don’t think we had any non-preventative visits the first year (although my kid did not start daycare as an infant). So for me, it would have been better to have baby on the insurance with the cheaper monthly premium.
Scilady says
Congratulations!
Having a child is one of those actions where you can reevaluate and change your health insurance. I can’t remember the timeline, but you will have 30-60 days after birth to do it. I think at birth baby is initially put on mom’s insurance. You can then put baby on whosever insurance/ back bill for the insurance you actually put it under.
Birth and any complications can create a disaster for insurance. I would ensure that you understand all your bills (and make sure coverage is correct) before you pay them. We normally waited for the 2nd or 3rd notice to pay, as the insurance company normally got something wrong on the first one. And my sister ended up paying a very expensive NICU bill that she didn’t actually have to pay if she had talked to the hospital social worker.
If your child will end up being cared for outside the house (and if it is your first child) I would put it on whichever insurance will be cheaper in the long run. If you are more likely to hit your deductible in the year, it may make more sense to have baby on your insurance since it will be overall “cheaper”. But double check what your spouse’s deductible is.
Anonymous says
You should also price out going on “family” insurance for each of you, and see if your companies offer any benefit for not opting into health insurance. For example we have my whole family on my husbands because my company will match all FSA contributions. My old company used to provide a flat amount of money per paycheck for not using their healthcare.
Anon says
Many companies charge a huge surcharge for insuring a spouse who is employed. Mine does, and I think it’s becoming increasingly common. :/ You can only insure your spouse affordably if they’re a SAHP or disabled or whatnot. :/
OP says
Yes, husband and I would both have to pay a sizable penalty if we were to use each other’s insurance because we both have it available to us and would be choosing to forego it. I think it would be either $75/month or $75/pay period fee, so not worth it unfortunately.
Anon says
+1
My husband went on his own insurance this year and I have my own + kids. Much cheaper for us to split up than get family insurance through one employer.
Anon says
Congratulations!
We keep two different health insurance plans for similar reasons. My husband reaches his deductible with in Q1 every year due to an autoimmune disease med. In our situation, it’s less expensive to keep him on a single plan with his employer and keep myself/kid(s) my employer’s plan.
Another thought to consider, if you think logistically you’ll be the one most often interacting with your baby’s pediatrician office. It’s also kind of nice for them to be on your plan. It’s more convenient for me to be able to get their information super quickly as the insurance policy holder. It wouldn’t be as easy if they were on DH’s plan. Obviously that snow balls into other topics, ex. division of labor etc. But it’s a reality for many.
Anonymous says
Look at whether there’s a difference in ER and urgent care copays – you will probably be using that a lot more than you have been, especially if your baby will be in daycare and bringing all kinds of fun new germs home. My insurance had a lower deductible but higher copays, and my spouse’s insurance had a slightly higher deductible with lower copays, so based on that and the amount we use medical care, it was kind of a wash. However, his ER copays were over $100 less than mine, and I think his urgent care copays were half the cost of mine. It was definitely worth it to go with his insurance.
OP says
This is a really good idea, thank you!
Anonymous says
I remember reading something about automatic coverage by one parent by the birthday rule? Something requiring one parents insurance to cover. I’d look this up.
anonM says
What is considered normal or acceptable for a kindergarten teacher? My son has been struggling a lot, and it is increasing. We have a meeting with his private OT for parent education and separately with the teacher tomorrow. But, the email today from the teacher concerned me. She said he “fell apart” after she wouldn’t let him do an activity “with us” because he missed the lesson and directions for it (I think because he was in the calm corner at his discretion). There’s a whole pile of issues that have to be addressed, so I’m just looking at this narrow issue of refusing to let him participate and wondering if this sounds like a normal “consequence” for not listening to the lesson, or overly rigid? (Same teacher I posted about before, sending home work for us to redo with him for writing in colored pencil not lead pencil as instructed, so I am worried I’m just seeing all of her complaints overly harshly). Feel free to say yes, this is what teachers have to do, let this issue drop.
Anon says
so i have two kids in Kindergarten. Yesterday one reported that child A pushed child B so child A could not participate in ‘discovery time’ (i’m not sure what that is). But that is obv different than this. Are students supposed to go to the calm corner on their own initiative if they are having a hard time? and if that then leads to them getting excluded from something for missing instructions, that seems like mixed messaging for the students and would make students want to avoid the calm corner. With the pencil issue, i had mixed feelings on that too. If the teacher told everyone to use red pencil for example and your kid used blue, if they used blue because they don’t have red that is one thing, but don’t kids also have to learn to follow instructions as part of school, but idk. I think you should approach the teacher as this is a partnership and you want to work with him/her to best help your kid. i’m convinced one of my twins has ADHD and masks all day at school and completely loses it at home, but it’s hard to get anyone to take me seriously since she is fine at school. so sending lots of hugs as i know it is hard to figure out how to navigate all of these situations and how to best advocate for your kid
Anon says
In isolation, this doesn’t necessarily sound problematic to me, but when combined with the other anecdotes you mentioned it sounds like she’s really harsh in a way that’s inappropriate for this age. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I hope the OT meeting and the teacher meeting are productive.
Anonymous says
Of course not. Talk to the principal. Get your kid moved
Anon. says
Missing the activity on its face isn’t totally crazy to me – maybe the directions include necessary safety instructions or maybe missing the direction means he’d be a huge distraction to others. I don’t like the idea of using that as a consequence for lots of reasons but I can imagine scenarios where it makes sense.
The redoing homework because the wrong pencil was used is completely bananas, in my opinion.